The next morning, the girls all woke up and ate breakfast and dressed, heading straight to either the old apartment building or some stores in downtown to get more furniture and decorations to spruce the place up. However, a few still had other obligations to complete that morning regardless of their original intended plan, such as Mari Urushibara, who was slowly pulling an arrow back in the bow as she focused on the target.
"One, ya! One, ya! One, ya!" Luka cheered her on every time she cocked it and hit the target. Mari eventually sighed after she ran out of arrows, wiping the sweat off her brow.
Stop yelling so loudly, Father. It breaks my concentration," She scolded, heading over to the target to retrieve her arrows. She started placing them in her bag. Luka blushed.
"Lukako and Mariko! My two favourite soldiers!" A brash voice called out, and Luka gasped and bowed immediately.
"Kyouma-san!" He smiled.
"Hi Uncle Okabe," Mari smiled as well, carrying her bag of arrows.
"Still hard at work, practicing for the inevitable war, are you?" He smirked, and Mari nodded. "Speaking of which, Mariko! I recently seized your communication device! Be more careful that the Organization doesn't get a hold of it, it has precious information on it!" He tossed a violet phone in the air and Mariko easily caught it.
"Thanks," She slipped it back into her pocket.
"Um, is that all you're here for, Kyouma-san?" Luka asked shyly.
"Indeed it is, but do not despair, Lukako! One of these days, I shall call on your expertise specifically!" He posed and laughed.
"I'll look forward to it," Luka bowed shyly.
"I have to head back to the building. I'm one of the ones picked to get food, it looks like," Mari bowed nicely to Okabe before running off, wearing her father's old black leather jacket over red pants with a chained belt and black off-shoulder top.
"Bye! I'm looking forward to your party!" Luka waved back happily, starting to clean up their training area.
####
Mari and Kiyomi weren't at the headquarters when the rest of the girls arrived, as they were out buying food for the fridge. Rose glanced around at the room, trying to figure out what needed to be done next.
"Why don't we reorganize some of the furniture? Move that desk over by the door, move the couch closer to the window," Suzuha finally suggested after a time.
"I was going to suggest pictures. Spruce this dull place up," Poptart huffed. "If Kiyomi-san was here, she could help with that,"
"Oh, why don't we go out and get some more furniture?" Kanako suggested kindly. "There's two empty rooms in here. Let's spruce them up too!"
"Yeah! We can turn it into a giant cosplay room!" Hanako announced. "With all of our costumes everywhere!" The twins were dressed in identical spaghetti-strap sundresses and sunhats; blue for Hanako and purple for Kanako.
"What's with you two and cosplay?" Poptart pouted.
"We'd need someone to help us move the furniture we bought up the stairs. Even if we just get something small like a nightstand, there's no way we'd be able to," Suzuha thought about it.
"What about Mr. Tennouji?" Rose suggested. "Sure, he's getting up there in age, but he's also the owner of this room. Surely he wouldn't mind,"
"After our parents tormented that poor man so much? I doubt it," Suzuha teased.
"Let's ask our daddy!" Kanako shouted.
"And Big Sister Suzuha's daddy too!" Hanako added.
"No. We want our renovations on this place to be kept a secret," Rose shook her head at them.
"Awwww!" The twins pouted at the same time, giving Rose puppy-dog eyes. She refused to budge.
"Let's start moving this desk. You three can clear out the remainder of the rooms," Suzuha said, standing up and grabbing onto the edge of the wooden desk. Rose grabbed the other side and gasped a bit at the weight, trembling.
"It's so heavy...!" She groaned as she pulled it out of its location; it budged slightly.
"Of course it is, it's a computer desk! Made from wood no less!" Suzuha laughed and easily pulled on her side, making the desk slide over that way.
Rose grumbled to herself as they slowly but surely scooted the desk over to the other side of the room. They then pushed the couch over by the window, a much easier task but Rose still found herself exhausted after the efforts. She collapsed right on the couch.
"We finished!" Hanako announced, blinking at the sight. "Hm?"
"Oh, you're all super sweaty now! You should take a shower!" Kanako determined, marching right up to Rose.
"I think I'm fin-hey!" She widened her eyes as the twins cheerfully pulled her off the couch and started to pull off her clothes.
"There's a tiny shower here," Hanako explained as if that made the situation any better.
"I think I'm perfectly fine...!" Rose declined, trying to cover up her plain white bra.
"But you'll smell bad when you go back home..." Kanako pouted. With one great heave, she yanked both her shorts and tights down in one fluid motion, making Rose gasp and fall to the ground, taking the twins with her.
"Well, she's right. Your parents don't wanna smell that," Suzuha grinned cheekily, her hands on her hips.
Rose finally wrestled the twins off her and covered her underwear up with her jacket. "Fine, you two win. I'll take a quick shower. Nothing more, nothing less," She grumbled as the twins cheered to celebrate their victory.
Rose trudged into the tiny shower room and shut the door, sighing as she turned the water on and let the room fill with steam. She realized then she had left her clothes out in the living room but attempted to shrug it off. They were all girls; they had grown up together close as sisters. It wasn't anything super humiliating. She closed her eyes and let the hot water wash over her body as she recalled the microwave. She hadn't had a bad headache-any sort of headache since the previous night. And both Poptart and the twins cleaned out that room and likely tossed it out because it was old and broken. She'd never have to worry about ever again.
#####
Despite it being the middle of summer, Mayuri, Kaede, and Yuki still had their jobs to go to; their pastel aprons and dresses denoting them as child caregivers. They often worked as elementary teachers during the actual school year and babysitters and daycare supervisors during the summer. Originally the girls hadn't intended to meet up at all after work that day, but a random slight change of plans allowed for that to happen.
The three women sat together at a cafe under an umbrella, each eating a different dessert. Yuki had strawberry crepes, Mayuri had chocolate ice-cream, and Kaede had a slice of vanilla-buttercream cake.
"I'm so excited for the girls' party this Saturday!" Yuki smiled. "It seems like forever we've been able to go out and have a reunion-of-sorts."
"I know! Mayushii wonders if she'll be allowed to dress for the occasion. She's hard at work on some new outfits!" Mayuri beamed.
"I don't really mind wearing the same-old same-old. Though dressing in cosplay would still be nice as well," Kaede tilted her head slightly as Yuki's phone rang. "Who's that?"
"Mr. Smith!" She read in surprise. "Wonder why he's calling me,"
"Kurisu-chan's husband!" Mayuri said eagerly.
"Oh, he didn't answer. Must've called me by mistake," Yuki set her phone out on the table and revealed her inbox, making Kaede's eyes widen.
"Your mailbox is very full, Yuki-chan! Don't you want to clean it out?" Mayuri stared at her with her vivid green eyes.
"Of course I do, I just get so busy. Some of this stuff has been in here since 2013 though, so.." She turned her phone off. "Maybe I can ask Itaru-kun to perform an entire system sweep on it..."
"Reminds me of a bizarre mail I received shortly after I learned I was pregnant with Mari-chan," Kaede chimed in.
"Tell us! Tell us!" Mayuri cheered eagerly.
"It was likely just spam..something about eating lots of fruit and remaining in good health. It was frantic as if I was going to die if I didn't take care of myself or something," She laughed. "Sounded like spam to me,"
"Those people would do anything to sell their products," Yuki nodded in agreement.
"Oh! Maybe it wasn't spam at all! Maybe it was a secret message in code sent to you by your great-great-great granddaughter!" Mayuri's eyes lit up. "She's part of a resistance force just struggling to stay alive and you are their last hope!"
"You're listening to Okabe-san's stories too much," Kaede shook her head. "I deleted that message anyway. The sender's name was glitchy too..."
"Probably for the best," Yuki nodded, then perked up. "What do you girls say to going shopping later on after we eat? For old times sake? We can get those new shoes at the mall that just came in, the ones with the kitten heels and the little bows on the toes...?"
"Yeah! Let's wear those to the party!" Mayuri suggested happily.
"Yes, we could all get different-coloured bows and wear dresses to match..." Kaede was already thinking about it.
"What if our husbands wear a shirt to match our colour scheme? It'll look so cool!" Yuki squealed.
"Let's do it! Mayushii wants to see Okarin wear a blue shirt!" She agreed.
"And Luka-kun would look quite handsome in violet..." Kaede smiled.
"And Itaru-kun could wear peach!" Yuki finished.
The three girls giggled in agreement and continued to eat their desserts so they could head off and go shopping.
####
"We got the food," Mari announced happily as her and Kiyomi entered the room with bags full of food. Rose motioned over to the fridge, running a hand through her loose wet hair. The two started to put it away in the fridge while the other girls talked; Rose laid down slowly on the couch. Everything suddenly sounded like it was underwater to her and the twins immediately caught her distress.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you sick?" They both asked at once.
Rose glanced at them and blinked.
Was she sick? She didn't really feel sick in the normal sense; her eyes ached dully, she felt dizzy and everyone sounded like they were underwater and overly-saturated. She managed a shrug.
"I guess moving that desk took a lot out of her!" Poptart snickered, though even she couldn't hide the worry in her eyes.
Rose sat up. "Maybe...I'm getting a summer cold. Maybe I should head home early..." She managed to tie her hair back up with the scrunchie and slowly stood up with a wobble.
"Can you take the bus?" Suzuha asked in concern. "I can ask my parents to give you a ride-"
Rose shook her head and stood up straight. "That won't be necessary. I'm perfectly fine. I just need to go home and rest," She made her way over to the door and gasped, nearly collapsing before everything became normal. Her dizziness was gone and everyone's voice sounded as it should. She stared down at her feet in confusion.
"Okay...? You still look...sick," Kiyomi added.
"I...I think I need to see Uncle Okabe," Rose said, more to herself before she took off running.
####
"Dizziness, oversaturation, headaches..." Okabe stared at Rose as she sat on the couch of his living room. The other girls hid behind the wall, staring at their friend in concern. "I've heard of those symptoms only once before,"
"What do they mean?" Their tones were no longer of a godparent and goddaughter or of family friends; they were the tones of researchers.
"Your mother does research on neurology. Did you know that when she was younger, she used to do research on time-travel?" Okabe continued. Rose's eyes widened.
"Mom did? No-nonsense, no 'fake science' Mom?" She asked in disbelief. "She doesn't believe in that," Even Okabe himself admitted Kurisu stopped pursuing such sciences after she got a bit older.
"Not this version of her," He looked at the girls and motioned for them to come in and sit down as well. "I have kept this secret for eighteen years. My own adolescence was plagued with the knowledge of time-travel and time machines. I spent days making an attempt to discover a perfect worldline, a divergence where all of us could live together in peace happily, without the burden of time travel. The things that have happened to your parents, the things I've done to them..." Okabe paused for a moment, his voice less level. "However, I see now that even this worldline is extremely delicate. You finding that microwave is proof of that. I have no idea what else will transpire as a result of this. I do not want this burden to be given to you, but seeing as how you started this, I have no choice,"
Rose stared at him.
"Find out where this worldline diverges and retrace your steps. Undo what it was that started this,"
"We're not going to disappear or anything, right?" Poptart demanded. "Because that's a huge trope of time-travel stories!"
"Along with the world blowing up, or ending up in World War 3, or becoming a dystopia," Suzuha added.
"Or one of us becoming a dictator! Or someone we know becoming a dictator!" Mari yelled.
"I will not deny that all of those outcomes are possible given the current circumstances, but I have no choice. As this is a worldline with time-travel, I only have limited time to make a working machine. I'll enlist the help of your parents." Okabe continued. "The machine may look a bit...unorthodox compared to what you've seen in the media, but it'll function well. And remember, I am your ally. No matter what worldline you end up in, I will not be far. Find me and ask me for help,"
The girls nodded solemnly, then left for their respective houses, mulling over what they just learned.
####
The next day, Mari, Suzuha, and Rose were all called back to Okabe's apartment and upon arrival, found a white microwave with a headset and old phone hooked up to it.
"I am no expert, but aren't time machines supposed to be enclosed for protection?" Mari asked.
"Why just the three of us?" Suzuha asked instead.
"Because your timelines are the most stable," Okabe said nothing more as Rose placed the headset on after some hesitation.
"I just don't want my friends to disappear...what we need to do must be done quickly and quietly as a result," She directed, and the other two nodded.
The machine flipped on and she bit her lip as a surge of electricity coursed through her body. She dug her feet into her sneakers and gripped the headphones tightly until everything became still.
The room she was currently in was dark and silent; it showed signs of people living there but nothing overly-familiar. Rose set the headset down and slowly walked around, tilting her head.
"Hello? Hello!" She called out, receiving no response. The floor under her creaked and she finally gathered herself up and bolted out of there, running off.
The outside still looked like Uncle Okabe's apartment, just dark. Maybe they just weren't home. Nothing else seemed to be different. She took the bus to the old laboratory and sighed as she climbed up the stairs, her knees feeling ready to buckle.
Everyone was there, making her smile in relief.
"Hey. Are we still making last-minute preparations for the party?" Rose asked slowly.
"You're late," Kiyomi stated, snapping a picture of her.
"Don't worry, we weren't waiting super long. Still, that just proves you've got more of Uncle Okabe in you than you realize!" Suzuha teased.
Rose frowned. "Why would I have any traits of his? We aren't related by blood," She stepped in further, suddenly feeling off.
"Haha, someone's in denial. You get into a fight?" Poptart laughed.
"I do not blame her for wishing her father was different," Mari covered her mouth with a sleeve.
"Father? My dad isn't Uncle Okabe, my dad is Mr. Andrew Smith, from Washington. Mom got married to him in-" Rose stopped when she caught their faces of disbelief.
"Are you sick, Big Sister Rose? You're saying weird things!" Hanako pouted.
"Yeah! She can't remember that her daddy is our daddy too!" Kanako added.
Rose's heart dropped to her feet. Everything around her seemed to freeze. "...Huh?" She blinked. "Can I see your phone?" She addressed Kiyomi, who paled and hugged it protectively to her chest.
"Oh here, have mine," Suzuha tossed hers over and Rose gratefully nodded and went through the photos and messages.
"I mean, Uncle Andrew is your dad now, because he married Aunt Kurisu three years ago," Poptart added. "You went to the wedding,"
Indeed, Rose found a picture of the wedding with a happily-smiling Kurisu and Andrew. Even Rose herself was there with her hair done up nicely.
It still made no sense to her though. So Mr. Smith was her stepdad, but how would Uncle Okabe even be her father?
"I am unsure of many details myself, but if you are really curious," Mari began. "Uncle Okabe and Aunt Kurisu both dated for a long time in their youth before breaking it off due to his engagement to Aunt Mayuri. Before that, though, they had a one-night stand and you are the result of that,"
Rose's knees did indeed buckle then, and she collapsed to the floor.
###
Rose called the planning off at an earlier time that day and rushed straight home, feeling empty.
Everything seemed to be exactly the same. Her friends all had the same exact lives. Her favorite stores were all open, her favorite shows still on TV, the bus driver was still the same one it was the other day...it seemed unreal.
Even her house was in the same exact place as it was before, and upon arrival she raced straight in and looked at herself in the mirror.
Same violet eyes and chestnut hair. Same tan coat she wore half-hanging off her shoulders. Except...her usual black tights were now a light caramel. And her eye shape and the way her hair fell seemed different as well.
Otherwise, even everything else in her house remained the same. She walked into the kitchen and anxiously poured herself a glass of Dr. Pepper, trying to calm herself down.
"You're home early! I didn't even hear the door close," Kurisu said in surprise, walking into the kitchen. Her hair was still worn in a bob and she wore a sleek purple business dress covered with a clean white lab coat.
"I wasn't feeling well so I called it a day." Rose sipped at the drink. "It's nothing to worry about. Just a summer cold,"
Kurisu looked at her a bit uneasily. "If you say so." She clasped her hands together suddenly. "Word around the neighborhood is that you are planning a party for all of us this weekend,"
"How'd you know? I didn't say anything. I wasn't able to last night.." She trailed off. Was this universe's last night the same as hers? Was her mom still a workaholic?
"I know, and I would've had dinner with you last night if I could've. You saw me on TV, right? Both me and your stepdad?" She asked eagerly, and Rose looked away with a nod.
"Yeah. I did..." She sipped some more. "Uh, Mom, I know this might be a bit of an awkward question, but...why?"
"Why what?" She played with her collar.
"Why Uncle Okabe? Uh, I mean.." What did she even call him in this universe? No way 'Dad' would ever suffice or even be appropriate. He wasn't just 'Uncle Okabe' anymore either though, was he?
Kurisu's eyes widened. "A moment shared between lovers, that's all it was. At the time I partially regretted it because...Okabe wasn't the most mature man around. He's really made a name for himself though..." She put a hand on Rose's head. "It gave me you, so it wasn't a total loss,"
Rose nodded. "Did you...name me?"
"Of course. Andrew-san gave you your scrunchie shortly after our wedding, do you remember? He said 'nothing but roses for our beloved Rose!'"
Rose noticed her glass was empty and set it in the sink. "Sorry for all the questions, it's just...sometimes I look at him and feel like...everything isn't supposed to be like this,"
"You know, I sometimes feel the same." Kurisu simply left the kitchen after that, not elaborating.
Rose has no idea where her...stepdad was, and didn't really feel like seeking him out. There weren't any pictures of Okabe in the house with a family-tone, just older stuff from when he was a teenager. Rose collapsed on the couch with a sigh.
Her last name, according to school papers she found in her room, was still Makise-Smith. Made sense. In her own world, Mom hadn't wanted to change her last name as she vastly preferred her maiden name. Here, they were a stepfamily of sorts. If the timeline changed more, would there be times when she was just Rose Smith? Rose Makise?
Rose Okabe?
Okabe had promised to sort things out in any timeline she found herself in, but she found herself hesitating to see him now. They were family. Would it be awkward if his daughter came for help?
Wait, that would mean she was related to the twins. Half-sisters. She had actual blood sisters!
She laid down on the couch and found herself falling asleep, worn-out by the day's events already.
###
Meanwhile, Suzuha headed back to her own house, stepping inside. Her mom was sewing in her room, but it wasn't her mother she wanted.
Instead, she knocked on Daru's office door and walked inside.
"Hey Dad? I know this is probably a weird question for you, but...do you know anything about time-travel?"